Civil Nations
Unfortunately, cheating is everywhere. Schools, businesses, hospitals, and even charities. Studies have shown again and again that cheating in America is rampant. So the most recent refusal to lift professional baseball’s lifetime ban of Pete Rose from the game for cheating is instructional.
Rose was nicknamed Johnny Hustle and still holds the record for the most base hits in the history of the game. But he bet on other professional baseball games. And he bet against his own team. Decades ago, the findings indicated that he damaged the integrity of the game.
It is possible that every person that reads Civil Nations has cheated at some point in their life. However, at least one reason Rose is not allowed back into baseball is that he continues to bet on baseball. The final conclusion from the commissioner of baseball is:
“In short, Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of all the circumstances that led to his permanent ineligibility in 1989.”
The takeaway? If you cheat, stop, and reconfigure your life. This is an interesting case-study to review after all these years—especially if you’re a baseball fan. But more especially if you’re a fan of honesty and integrity. I know this post is a bit preachy. I guess I’ve been haunted by Pete Rose. He was the greatest player of my generation and he got EVICTED–forever. If that happened to Michael Jordan or Lebran James younger folk would be haunted too. Michael Phelps is as close to the Rose story as they’ve been. I hope that remains the case. The story of Rose may be found in the link below.
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